The day after the time trial, the peloton was presented with a relatively easy stage. Four riders tried to avoid a bunch sprint from the early breakaway, but the peloton did not let that happen. In the streets of Ardooie, Laporte was positioned well by his teammates, but the Frenchman could not compete for the stage win.

"As a team we did well. We stayed out of trouble and tried to ride in the front. I started the sprint in a good position, but got boxed in and therefore didn't get to sprint anymore", Laporte said.

Sports director Frans Maassen: "The guys really did their best to launch Christophe well. Unfortunately, they lost each other with three kilometres to go. Nevertheless, Christophe still seemed to be able to get a nice spot, but he got boxed in. That's a shame because he had good legs."

Maassen expects another bunch sprint tomorrow. "Basically, it will be a day for the sprinters, but the wind can definitely play a role. In particular, the first hour and a half can get nervous."